02/14/14 "It is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single courageous State may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country." – Justice Louis D. Brandeis, New State Ice Co. v. Liebman (dissent)

02/14/14
Early reports of a $40 million boutique hotel and conference center envisioned for the site on Belle Isle gave hope to the idea that the historic structure could be restored. But it's not a foregone conclusion the existing boat club structure will be a part of the hotel project should it move forward.

02/13/14
Employers are recognizing the value in hiring interns, while students are recognizing that an internship is an important step to a successful, fulfilling career. Michigan-based companies that offer internships are not only helping themselves, but also the state on the whole.

02/13/14
The last line of Crain's reporter Kirk Pinho's story about Wednesday night's State of Oakland County address begs for a visual aid. It describes the long-awaited sidelight to the county's economic success stories: the entrance of County Executive L. Brooks Patterson onto the stage.

02/13/14
I receive many questions on where to find help if you're considering starting a business or have simply plateaued when it comes to growth. The Detroit region is fortunate to have many colleges and universities devoting resources to supporting business owners as they chase their entrepreneurial dreams.

02/12/14
The Internal Revenue Service is giving small nonprofits that had their nonprofit status revoked for failing to file tax returns for three years a break in the process to get them reinstated. Larger nonprofits are also getting a break, but a much smaller one.

02/11/14
In the depths of this polar vortex that won't leave, it's hard to remember the smell of warm dirt, the look of fresh blooms. But Sarah Pappas hasn't forgotten. She's deep into planning her new farm, Fresh Cut Flower Farm, which debuts this spring.

02/11/14
It has got to be aggravating, especially to a common-sense nerd. Gov. Rick Snyder put all his political capital into battling for a new bridge to link Detroit and Canada. Despite strong-arm lobbying and a multimillion-dollar campaign against the bridge, he — and the Canadian government and Michigan companies — won.

02/10/14
If somebody had asked my dad what his company culture was, he would have locked them with a 1,000-foot John Wayne stare. That would sound like a bunch of woo-woo-woo hippie stuff to him, one of the last stoic sons of the West.

02/09/14 Confession: I don't like the Olympics. Yes, I love America. Yes, I love sports. I just don't see how an event where judges determine the winner can be a sport. I'm talking to you about ice dancing, snowboarding and gymnastics. I'll leave that soapbox for another day.

02/08/14
As the Crain's Detroit Business restaurant reporter, I come across some truly amazing dishes. This is one of them. The pho at Da Nang Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Clawson is the best I've had in metro Detroit.

02/10/14
Even I had to read the Congressional Budget Office report a second time to find the truth in headlines that led you to believe the Affordable Care Act was expected to cut the number of full-time jobs by 2.2 million over the next 10 years.

02/07/14
I don't want to bury the lead, so I'm going to come right out and say it: If all goes well and Chef Derik Watson and his staff can handle the pressure, Bistro 82 in Royal Oak could battle Ferndale's Torino and White Lake's The Root Restaurant for the title of best restaurant in Oakland County.

02/10/14
To all CVS Caremark Corp. customers who smoke: You better stock up while you can. You have only until Oct. 1 to purchase cigarettes at your neighborhood CVS drug store, including 249 stores in Michigan, before they are banned. For the record, I am impressed by CVS' decision, which appeared to come out of the blue.

02/06/14
Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced that February would be Cooperative Education and Internship Month. While the go-fetch-my-coffee type of internships inevitably will always exist, here are ways internships work most effectively.

02/06/14
Grand Rapids-based BarFly Ventures is investing $3.3 million to open the largest HopCat bar in the state at 4265 Woodward Ave. in Midtown. The bar, which consistently ranks among the nation's best, will have 130 beers on tap from all over the world.

02/06/14
Mayor Mike Duggan seems to have a thing for Louisville, Ky. Two of his major appointments hail from the home of the Kentucky Derby and Papa John's Pizza. Wait, is it a pizza conspiracy? Does the mayor prefer Papa John's to our own Little Caesars? Say it ain't so, Mr. Mayor!

02/05/14
The stained glass will always remind me that Atwater in the Park was once a house of worship. Well, it still is. But instead of praying to God Almighty, those who enter might give praise to the 40-something-odd beers on tap at the 7,500-square-foot brew house.